by Ali Franklin
as you cooperate. If you don’t,
your career is over.
Ryan turned it over to see the other side was blank. “Who wrote this?”
“It had to be Veronica.”
“Veronica? Why would she say something like this?”
Emma sat back in her chair. “Because it’s true.” Ryan didn’t say anything, and Emma continued.
“It was twenty years ago, when I was working as a sous chef in New York. A twelve-year-old girl ate at the restaurant one night. She developed botulism and died within a few days.”
“Oh, that must have been terrible.”
“The authorities traced it back to our kitchen, but they couldn’t name one person as the responsible party.” Emma shook her head. “Every one of us felt responsible. Every kitchen I’ve worked in since that night has received the highest ratings from the health department. But nothing will ever make up for what happened to that little girl.”
Ryan tapped the letter on the table. “Why would Veronica send this to you now?”
“We’d been arguing about everything having to do with the FLH dinner. I think this was her way of telling me I’d better do what she said.”
“Wait. She was blackmailing you over steak?”
Emma’s head sank into her hands. “I wonder how long she’d known about it. How long she’d been waiting for a chance to use it against me.”
“At the risk of sounding callous,” said Ryan, “she can’t use it against you now.”
Emma sat up in her chair “But I don’t know if she told anyone else. Now I’ll be looking over my shoulder.”
“You said the authorities didn’t prosecute anyone for what happened.”
“That’s true. But it could still ruin my business if it got out.”
Ryan pointed to the piece of paper. “You should turn this over to the detectives.”
“What? That would make me look like even more of a suspect.”
“But if it gets out some other way, it could look like you were covering it up.”
Emma stood and walked to the other side of the office, huffing in frustration. “I don’t understand. I’m not a politician. I’m not rich. What did Veronica hope to get out of me by bringing this up again?”
“We can’t know what was in her mind. But I think you should talk to Jack Prieto about it. Don’t make it seem like you’re hiding something from the investigation.”
“Really?” Emma slammed the heels of both hands on her desk. “She’s dead and she’s still ruining my life!”
“Emma,” Ryan stood. “Think about what you’ve built here. The years you’ve spent making it what it is.”
“No one knows how much sweat and love I’ve poured into this place.” Emma looked around the office. “I love this place. It’s like one of my kids. I built it so they’d have something when I was gone.” She sat in her desk chair. “Now the whole thing could be ruined by a note from a dead woman.”
Ryan laid a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve built a great restaurant here. Everyone knows you, and everyone knows how you run The Grove. They wouldn’t blame you for something that happened twenty years ago.”
“I hope you’re right, Ryan.”
Ryan returned to her office but didn’t accomplish much for the rest of the day. The conversation with Emma kept invading her thoughts and contributed to a fitful night’s sleep.
Chapter 10
The next day was Thursday, which was usually Ryan’s busiest day of the week. She had multiple standing meetings in the morning and the afternoon, with only a half-hour break for lunch. She was glad for the packed schedule, and the activity allowed her to forget about Veronica for a while. But when five o’clock arrived, she stood and took a deep breath.
You can do this.
She walked across the street to O’Leary’s.
Ryan had requested an emergency meeting of the FLH committee. They needed to decide what they were going to do. She assumed they’d want to cancel the events—or at least postpone them—until a respectable amount of time had passed since Veronica’s death.
Nicki walked in a few minutes after Ryan and helped the dean push two tables together for the meeting.
“Thanks for coming,” said Ryan. “I appreciate you volunteering to take over for Chase.”
“No problem. Is everyone going to make it tonight?”
“Yes. Emma said she can be here for an hour and Father Paul said he’d come. Danielle may have to bring Joanna, but she’s never a problem.”
“And Chase?” asked the chief.
“I told him you offered to take over the tournament. I think it caught him off-guard. We can talk about it when he gets here.”
Jamie brought both women glasses of water while they waited, and they chatted about campus events. Danielle arrived a few minutes later, Joanna in tow. The girl’s eyes widened when she saw Nicki’s campus police uniform. She walked over to the chief and stuck out her hand.
“Hello. My name is Joanna Nunez. I’m happy to meet you.” Nicki smiled at the youngster’s bravado and held out her own hand.
“Hello, Joanna. I’m Nicki Statton.” She patted the empty chair next to her. “Would you like to sit with me?” The girl nodded vigorously and jumped into the chair. The two were soon deep in conversation. Nicki’s smile demonstrated how charmed she was by the little girl.
Emma, Chase, and Father Paul walked in a few minutes later. When they all had drinks, Ryan got their attention.
“I think everyone knows why we’re here tonight. We need to decide what we’re going to do about the FLH. It feels insensitive to keep going after what happened, but I don’t think we should cancel it. Maybe we should postpone?” She looked around the table.
All eyes swiveled to Chase. He took a sip of his merlot and set the wine glass back on its coaster without a sound. Then he looked at Ryan and spoke.
“We need to keep the FLH as it is—same date, same events, all of it.”
Everyone stared.
“Chase,” said Father Paul. “We know you have a lot on your plate right now. We could just wait a little while…”
“Everyone will understand if we push back the date,” said Danielle.
“No.” Chase shook his head. “That’s not what Veronica would have wanted. For the Love of Haverwood was important to her, and everyone knows February is the only time it fits into people’s schedules.”
It was true. Previous FLH committees had tried moving the event to March or April, with no luck. March held spring break and April had its own annual community-wide events. They’d always come back to February.
“Who’s okay with keeping the original dates?” asked Ryan. She glanced from face to face as each committee member nodded their agreement. “All right, we’re going to forge ahead. Let’s double-check our plans to make sure we’ve got everything covered.”
She turned to Chase. “Nicki has volunteered to take over the tennis tournament so you can concentrate on…other things.”
Chase looked at the chief. “That’s very thoughtful of you, but this is the last project I worked on with my wife. I’d like to see this through for her.”
Emma made a little sound and her hand flew to her mouth.
“I’ve got the tournament covered,” Chase continued. “But you’re welcome to come be a roving line judge.”
Nicki nodded. “Just let me know what you need from me.”
Emma spoke up. “We need someone to take over as chair. How about you, Ryan?”
“I’m not sure we need a chair,” said Ryan. “If we just all manage our events, we should be able to cover everything.”
“I don’t know,” said Danielle. “Veronica was working on a lot of things that aren’t a part of the events. Like marketing and being the liaison to the nonprofit groups.”
“I think she was also working on some donations,” said Father Paul. “Ryan, you’re the logical choice. Can you do it?”
Ryan looked at Nicki, half hoping the chief woul
d make a campus-related excuse on her behalf. But Nicki just smiled.
“I can pick up some of the legwork for the cookoff, if it will help,” said the chief.
Ryan sighed. “Okay, I’ll be the chair.” She looked at the faces around the table. “If you’re aware of anything specific Veronica was working on, please let me know. I’ll try to pick up those pieces.”
With their business settled, the group attempted to shift into normal conversation. But the undercurrent of sadness eventually pushed its way to the surface. The discussion faded away. One by one, the committee members left the pub.
Ryan, Nicki and Chase were the last three at the table. They were talking about the tennis tournament when Jack Prieto and Gus Lipinski entered the pub. The detectives looked around and Gus pointed at the little group. The newcomers walked to the table.
“Hi, guys,” said Nicki. “Working late?”
Jack introduced Nicki to Gus, who took in her her uniform and pasted on a sardonic smile. “Campus, huh? I bet it gets pretty hairy over there.”
Professional courtesy kept Nicki from shoving his insolent attitude down his throat, but she noted the dig. “We’ve had a few interesting cases,” she said.
Jack slapped a hand on her shoulder. “That’s an understatement, Chief.” He looked at his new partner. “Statton is the real deal, Gus. She’s helped us out more than once.” Gus continued to look skeptical.
Ryan hoped the two men weren’t at O’Leary’s on business. “You guys want to join us?”
“We can’t,” said Jack. “In fact, we’re here to talk with Chase.”
Chase swallowed half a glass of wine in one gulp. “I can’t imagine what else you gentlemen would have to ask me. We’ve already spoken for hours.”
“Mr. Arrington,” said Gus. “We just need to ask you one thing. Would you mind—” he looked around and pointed to a booth in the far corner.
Chase heaved a sigh and the three men moved to the booth. Ryan and Nicki watched them talk for a few minutes. Chase seemed relaxed, so Ryan and Nicki turned their attention back to each other.
“What’s the deal with Lipinski?” asked Nicki.
“Don’t know yet. Jack seems to be okay with him, though.”
A moment later Gus appeared at their table. “Mind if I join you for a minute, ladies?”
“Sure,” said Ryan. “Are you done with Chase?”
“Just about.” He called to Jamie for a beer, then looked at the women. “This is the end of my shift. It’s been a long day.”
They sat in silence until Gus’s beer arrived. He lifted it and took a sip. “What are you ladies doing here tonight with Chase?”
“We just finished an FLH committee meeting,” said Ryan. “Chase convinced us not to postpone it. He said Veronica would have wanted us to go on with it.”
Nicki excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Gus watched her go, clearly enjoying the view from behind. Ryan smiled to herself, hoping she’d get to hear the detective try to flirt with her friend.
He turned to her. “We’re still waiting on the lab results for the chili, but if I were a betting man, I’d say we’re going to find the cause of death in one of those glass bowls.”
“That’s terrible. I just can’t imagine one of us poisoning Veronica.”
“You sound like every other member of the committee. Everyone knows Veronica was a bitch, but no one wants to believe someone killed her.”
Ryan didn’t know what else to say. She wondered what was keeping Nicki.
The detective spoke again. “Jack tells me you’re a…lesbian.”
“Does he?” Ryan was immediately ready for their conversation to be over.
“Don’t be offended. I’m not homophobic or anything. In fact, I told him you were hot.” He sipped his beer. “That’s when he told me. Said he didn’t want me to get shot down.”
Ryan gave him a half-smile. She hoped she wasn’t going to have to listen to him try to prove he wasn’t homophobic by naming all of his gay friends.
“I told Jack you reminded me of someone I used to date back in Brookline.” He continued, oblivious to Ryan’s cold shoulder. “You’re like her in a lot of ways.”
“Like who?” Nicki asked, returning to the table.
“An ex of mine.” Neither woman said anything, so he continued. “She was sexy and smart, and I was convinced she was the one for me.”
The women still didn’t respond.
“You know why we broke up?”
Nicki took the bait. “Why?”
“She threatened to kill me.”
Ryan and Nicki exchanged a glance.
Jack walked over and told Gus he was finished with Chase. Ryan and Nicki stood, glad for the interruption. The two women said good night and walked out together.
Ryan looked at her friend. “Okay, that was weird, right?”
“Definitely weird. Why do you think he told us his ex-girlfriend killed someone?”
“Shock value?” asked Ryan.
“Maybe he wants us to feel sorry for him.”
“It didn’t work.” Ryan looked out over the campus as they crossed Hawk Street.
“Want me to walk you to your car?” asked Nicki.
“Yes, please.”
Friday morning came too soon for Ryan, who’d spent another night tossing and turning while she thought about Veronica. She replayed last night’s seemingly casual meeting between Jack, Gus, and Chase while she ate her breakfast. She hoped the detectives hadn’t found any evidence against Chase.
It’s normal for them to look at the spouse, she reminded herself. I’m sure Jack will tell me if they have a reason to suspect someone.
At her office, Ryan made a list of the county organizations that would benefit from the FLH. She was going to call each one and ask what tasks Veronica had been handling before her death. She was also going to investigate Veronica’s relationships with the people at those organizations. Could one of them be a suspect?
She’d just finished her first call when her cell phone rang. It was Jack.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”
Jack cleared his throat before answering. “We’re holding someone on suspicion of Veronica Arrington’s murder. I thought you’d want to know.”
Ryan’s blood froze. “Who was it?”
“Danielle Nunez.”
Ryan’s face turned hot. “Uh-uh. There is absolutely no way Danielle would have killed Veronica.”
“You don’t know that, Ryan. Unless you’re the one who did it.”
“Not funny. Can I see her?”
“Yes,” said the detective. “She’s here. Come on down.”
Ryan walked into the reception area and told Helen about Jack’s call.
“Danielle?” asked Helen. “She’s a lovely woman, and her daughter is such a sweet girl. I don’t believe for a moment she had anything to do with this.”
“That’s why I’m going down there to talk to her. There’s got to be another explanation.” Ryan stalked out of the office and across campus, almost running into a line of ducklings following their mother toward the pond. She cursed under her breath and took the long way around, finally reaching her car.
She arrived at the Sheriff’s station and asked to see Jack. The desk sergeant called back to the bullpen, then buzzed her through the security door. She was still seeing red when she reached Jack’s desk. She started talking without greeting him.
“Danielle didn’t have a reason to kill Veronica.”
Jack looked up. “Didn’t you tell me and Gus that Danielle fought with Veronica Monday night at the meeting?”
“Everyone fought with Veronica that night. If that’s your only evidence, it’s not going to stick.”
“I agree,” said the detective. “But unfortunately for Danielle, we found rat poison in her apartment. It matches the poison in Veronica’s stomach.”
“Lots of people have rat poison. I have rat poison.”
“True, but not a lot of people
have this particular rat poison. It’s an expensive product that’s only sold in specialty stores.”
“Jack, that doesn’t make sense. Danielle told me she saves every penny so she can send Joanna to Cedar Hill next year.”
“People do a lot of things to cover their tracks in a murder,” said Jack. “Sometimes that means buying a product they wouldn’t normally buy, or buying it in a different store than they usually go to.”
“So you think Danielle snuck poison into one of the chili containers after we all ate? I can’t imagine how she could have done that without someone seeing her.”
“We think she came back later that night and broke into the house. A pane of glass in the kitchen door was smashed.”
“It could have been anyone,” said Ryan. “What makes you think Danielle would break into the house?”
“She had to get in somehow, and you’d all been in the kitchen. She would have seen the glass in the door.”
“C’mon, Jack. Danielle’s a smart lady. If she was smart enough to break in, she wouldn’t be dumb enough to hang on to the murder weapon.”
“If murderers didn’t do stupid things once in a while, we’d never catch any of them.”
Ryan paced to the window and back to the desk. “I just don’t believe it. There’s got to be another explanation.”
“Unless we find stronger evidence that points us to someone else, Danielle will remain in the care of the county. She’ll probably be arraigned within the next few days.”
“Are you still investigating, or are you convinced it was her?”
He gestured to the file folder on his desk. “All the facts are falling into place, and it makes sense. Think about it, Ryan. It’s likely we’re right.”
Ryan looked around the room, hoping for an idea that didn’t come. Suddenly, she said, “What’s going to happen to Joanna?”
“Danielle doesn’t have any relatives in town. We’ll send someone from Children’s Services to pick up Joanna from school this afternoon. She’ll be in a group home for the next couple of days, until her mom makes bail. If Danielle is found guilty, we’ll look for relatives to take her.”
Ryan had watched too many after-school specials to think that was a good idea.
